Flights to Amsterdam

Flights + 2 nights hotel

Amsterdam’s new face

The stereotypical view of canals, bicycles, tulips, and a somewhat lenient lifestyle doesn’t do Amsterdam justice. This city has style. Enjoy its cutting-edge culture and little luxuries. The tacky image of yesteryear is on its way out.

The changing face of the Red Light District has opened up new possibilities in the centre. Hip cafes and gourmet restaurants are booming, diversifying the area for both locals and tourists alike. Luxury boutique hotels and shops are becoming prevalent across the whole city. Visit Jordaan’s contemporary galleries and mingle with the style-conscious artists and designers who live in the neighbourhood. Explore the many green spaces like the Vondelpark, or find some culture at the superb world-class museums, before heading over to trendy Amsterdam Noord for a bite to eat. Whilst it may have shaken off its seedier side, it doesn’t mean you can’t find a great bar or two to while away your evening. Why not book a flight to Amsterdam to see it for yourself?

Amsterdam areas

Plan your visit to Amsterdam with our guide to the different neighbourhoods.

You can’t miss it: busy and exciting, whilst still hosting a heap of historic buildings, the city centre is everything it should be. It has Amsterdam’s answer to Oxford Street, Kalverstraat, for those who want to pierce the commercial heart of the city, but it’s also got a wonderful Neoclassical palace. Dam square is a good meeting point for touring the city’s smaller lanes and canals – too bad everyone else thinks so, too. Waterlooplein Square hosts a heap of sights at once: the Rembrandt House Museum, the Flea Market, and the Jewish Historical Museum.

De Wallen, or the Red Light District as it’s known all over the world, is one of the oldest parts of the city. Home to Amsterdam’s sex industry, it has been in use since the 13th century, but in recent years has been cleaning up its act. Alongside the sex shops you will now find hip cafes and restaurants, barbers and even a radio station. De Wallen is quick becoming a favourite of the locals of Amsterdam, claiming it back from its seedy past.

A girdle of old canals encircles the city centre, each one lined with narrow gabled houses. Glass-roofed sightseeing boats glide underneath: take one for a proper tourist tour, though you’ll be overtaken by locals pootling about in motor boats. It’s here that Amsterdam’s famous Light Festival comes in winter. All year, the beautiful Bloemenmarkt perches above Singel canal and on the outer waterways, the Nine Streets neighbourhood make for a pleasant afternoon of wandering. The streets are pretty, but you’ll want to do more than just window shop. Check out the vintage store Episode and cool brands like Acne.

Amsterdam has the highest concentration of museums of any city and Dutch Art is widely renowned, thanks to masters Van Gogh, Rembrandt and Vermeer – see fine examples of their work in the Museumplein museums. The Van Gogh is full of Impressionist masterpieces, the renovated Rijkmuseum has Old Masters and the Stedelijk has a striking modern art collection. For more modern gems – literal ones – head to nearby P.C. Hooftstraat. The streets are full of couture and swanky houses.

Escape the bustle for the lush verdant expanse of Vondelpark. Take a relaxing stroll or bike ride through this tranquil green space. Picnic under a leafy canopy of trees or grab a speciality tea at the modernist Blauwe Theehuis. Theatre buffs can catch a show during the summer season at the open-air Openluchttheater, and little ones will be in their element at the Klein Melkhuis children’s park. Afterwards, enjoy refreshments at one of the many lively cafés lining the nearby Leidseplein square.

The Jordaan district is a lovely neighbourhood near Amsterdam’s main station where smaller museums, shops and cafes cluster. Climb the steep steps into Anne Frank’s annexe and see her actual diary. For somewhere a little more frivolous, there’s a cheese museum, celebrating the Dutch’s status as the world’s largest exporter and apple pie for afters at Winkel, which is deservedly famous for the dessert.

Known as Amsterdam’s Latin Quarter, De Pijp is an eclectic part of the city, where you will find hip bars, terraced cafés and fantastic cuisine from all over the world. You can try Surinamese curries before heading to the Heineken Brewery to sample their fresh beer. Or venture to the Albert Cuypmarkt street market, a hotspot for cheese, clothes and local produce and Europe’s largest market. De Pijp’s beatnik flair has enticed creatives since the 60s.

Amsterdam’s newest district, to the north of the centre, is just a short ferry hop away. Here, modern architecture houses the Bimhuis Jazz Venue, a concert hall and the biggest 3D printer in the world. On arrival, climb the new A’DAM tower and take Europe’s highest swing for a spin or mingle with new media creatives in the regenerated shipyards at NDSM wharf. If you’d rather sit in the dark than socialise, the EYE film institute, in a suitably dramatic building, screens multiple world cinema films every day – many with English subtitles.

A taste of summer

Video bloggers (vloggers) Nadine Sykora & Laura Bubble venture to Amsterdam to sample the local cuisine whist taking in the local culture. See how they got on in the video below.